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Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing Near Morris Airport

A single-engine plane made an emergency landing near Morris Municipal Airport Saturday and ended up in a field. (CBS/Network Video)

MORRIS, Ill. (CBS) — A small airplane made an emergency landing near the Morris Municipal Airport Saturday afternoon, touching down on Illinois Route 47 before careening into a field. None of the three people aboard were hurt, officials said.

The plane was approaching Morris Municipal Airport for a landing when it had engine trouble, Morris Fire Protection and Ambulance District Chief Tracey Steffes told a photographer at the scene. The pilot set the plane down on Illinois Route 47, but its wing clipped a pole, sending the aircraft into a field.

“I’m glad the road was open so he could set it down here. This is usually a very heavily traveled road, especially that time of night. Probably helped that it was on a Saturday,” Steffes said.

The incident occurred around 5 p.m. on 47 at Nelson Road, a dispatcher told CBS 2.

The plane, which sustained some damage, was expected to be towed to the airport early Sunday, an FAA spokesman said.

The plane’s “N-Number” is assigned to a single-engine Bellanca registered to a Colorado Springs resident, according to the FAA’s website.